Rookie pitcher Seong Yeong-tak (21) of the KIA Tigers has broken the team's record for the most consecutive scoreless innings in a debut.
KIA manager Lee Beom-ho mentioned Seong Yeong-tak's record of 15⅔ consecutive scoreless innings in his debut, stating in an interview before the game against the SSG Landers in Incheon on 20th that "he has achieved an incredible record by building it up one step at a time. After setting the record yesterday, I was contemplating whether to let him pitch only one inning and pull him out."
Seong Yeong-tak, who joined KIA after being drafted in the 10th round (96th overall) of the 2024 rookie draft, did not step onto the first team mound in his debut year. He only played in the Futures League, recording 2 wins, 2 losses, and 2 holds with an earned run average of 4.05 over 23 games (40 innings). This year, he also started the season in the second team, recording 1 win, 1 hold, and an earned run average of 4.97 over 13 games (25⅓ innings) in the Futures League.
Called up to the first team on 20th of last month, Seong Yeong-tak began to shine. This season, he recorded 1 hold and an earned run average of 0.00 over 12 games (15⅔ innings), not allowing a single run since his debut. He has maintained a scoreless streak of 15⅔ innings, surpassing the previous team record of 13⅔ innings set by Jo Gye-hyun in 1989. Looking at the KBO League's all-time records, Seong Yeong-tak ranks 4th, following Kim In-beom (Kiwoom, 19⅔ innings in 2024), Jo Yong-jun (Hyundai, 18 innings in 2002), and Park No-jun (OB, 16⅓ innings in 1986).
On the 19th, Seong Yeong-tak took the mound in the 8th inning when KIA was leading 5-0 against KT. He quickly retired the KT cleanup trio of Ahn Hyun-min, Lee Jeong-hoon, and Mel Rojas Jr. in order. He went back to the mound in the 9th inning and again retired the KT lineup of Jang Seong-woo, Heo Gyeong-min, and Moon Sang-cheol without allowing a hit, delivering a perfect two innings of scoreless pitching to secure KIA's fifth consecutive victory.
Manager Lee Beom-ho said, "Due to the scoreless record, I was considering whether to pull him in the 9th inning. However, since he hadn’t thrown many pitches, I thought it would be better for him to close out the remaining inning rather than let another pitcher take over. Given that we had an away game right after, I hoped he could finish cleanly. Just in case, I had Jo Sang-woo ready behind him."
In the last game, Seong Yeong-tak managed to get Ahn Hyun-min, currently the hottest hitter in the KBO League, out with just two pitches, resulting in a flyout to center field. Manager Lee Beom-ho noted, "I was curious to see how he would handle the situation. With no runners on and a significant lead, giving up a solo home run wouldn't mean much. Therefore, I wanted to see him confidently facing the batter, and he did well."
"I view it positively," said manager Lee Beom-ho, praising Seong Yeong-tak's pitching. "Not only is temperament important, but batters don’t consider velocity alone. How a breaking ball comes in on a particular trajectory is crucial, and it seems he throws it well on difficult paths. He throws a two-seamer, and the slider comes horizontally, while the curve drops vertically. That seems to confuse the batters. Because he hasn’t given up any runs, he seems to be gaining confidence in his pitching."
Manager Lee Beom-ho commented, "It’s meaningful for a rookie pitcher to come up and not give up a single run. Once he has enough experience and strength, it won’t be long before he pitches in high-leverage situations." He continued, "Currently, he is being used in the 6th inning, but that’s under the premise that all three high-leverage pitchers can pitch. If only two can be used, Yeong-tak could go in the 7th, and if two are resting, he could also pitch in the 8th," suggesting that Seong Yeong-tak is already close to taking on a high-leverage role.
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